Laguna Beach, California: Pacific Edge Hotel; hotel review

Pacific Edge Hotel  

647 S. Coast Hwy./Sleepy Hollow Ln., (800) 843-6895, (949) 494-8566.  125 rooms.  2 heated swimming pools, hot tub; fitness center.  2 restaurants; room service.  Valet parking $20/night; no self-parking.  Pets ok. 

view from guest room at Pacific Edge Hotel in Laguna Beach, California

Situated south of Main Beach and Park, this boutique hotel is an easy walk from restaurants and downtown shopping.  The Pacific Edge is an unusual hotel in that it is composed of six separate guest room buildings dating from the 1960s, plus a cottage and house.  Built originally as apartments, the guest room complexes are scattered over a compact area that is two blocks deep, between the Pacific Coast Highway and the beach and ocean, and it is the town’s closest hotel to the water.  The lobby has a beachy feel, and both salt-water taffy and housemade citrus water greet guests at check-in.  Amenities include a game room with three arcade games, Ping Pong, Wii, Foosball, and vending machines, plus, on the beach, guests have complimentary use of lounge chairs, umbrellas, and beach towels, and stand-up paddle boards and body boards are available to rent.  Sunset yoga on the beach and a wine hour are sometimes scheduled.  Complimentary access to a fitness center that is just around the corner is available to guests. Decor is the same throughout--simple ‘50s-style interiors spiffed up with white furnishings, white duvets, and print fabrics from the era.  As an example, one of the Waterfront Rooms in the Reef building features a lime-green wall and a turquoise wall and—reflecting the hotel’s status as the world’s only official “Endless Summer” hotel--a decorative “Endless Summer” movie poster.  Waterfront Rooms are prime, and those in the Reef building are extra-prime because they have less outside sounds, and at times the surf comes up so close to the building that you can see baby sharks swimming in the shallow water below. 

Though sitting on the open-air beach-side deck of The Deck on Laguna Beach is almost spectacular enough, diners here get the bonus of fresh seafood and a usually showy sunset.  Live music is also sometimes scheduled.  Menu favorites include ahi chips, lobster bisque, coconut shrimp, crab cakes, a grilled artichoke, the garbage salad, and a big cheeseburger.  Paella, lobster, and steak are available at dinner.  Drinks include a delicious mango margarita with Azunia blanco, and the best dessert is definitely s’mores on the beach for two.






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image and video c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 
updated 1-14-18